Duplin and Sampson Counties, NC
Climate and environment | 2025
Mapped environmental injustices and public health risks from concentrated animal feeding operations.
Swine and poultry concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) constitute significant public health risks by causing waste contamination in air and water, which is exacerbated by flooding from climate change. North Carolina counties with the highest per capita swine production have a high proportion of residents who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). There is also a growing and unregulated biogas industry that collects methane from the waste pits of swine CAFOs. However, a lack of data on the locations of biogas collection, poultry CAFOs, and avian influenza outbreaks prevents affected communities from making decisions to protect their own health and safety. To address this data gap, the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network led a series of participatory mapping sessions and created an interactive geospatial dataset of resident-reported hazards to support community and worker advocacy.
The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network co-organized these mapping sessions along with leaders from community organizations including Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help in Duplin County and the Environmental Justice Community Action Network in Sampson County. During these mapping events, residents pinpointed locations of biogas infrastructure, poultry CAFOs, and avian influenza outbreaks and shared their environmental and health concerns regarding these operations. Volunteers then digitized and categorized the information in real time so that participants could discuss and identify advocacy and research goals. North Carolina Environmental Justice Network staff also led trainings and workshops to empower other communities to conduct their own participatory mapping exercises.
Ultimately, this project produced a community-derived advocacy and action agenda informed by data. Potential action items in the coming year include providing public comments to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, canvassing near facilities and asking that the North Carolina Department of Agriculture increase transparency on poultry CAFOs. With this project’s data, advocates and communities now have much-needed information and tangible data that reinforces community expertise regarding the most important locations for monitoring air and water quality.